The ice spear moved nimbly in Shimura Takeshi's hand, each thrust aiming straight at Maki's vital points.
Barely dodging Shimura Takeshi's rapid attacks, Maki gritted his teeth, trying to find an opening.
Unfortunately, the opponent's small build made it impossible for Maki to catch a chance to counter.
He could only trade injuries.
Seeing the spear tip closing in, Maki prepared a Wind Blade. Forcing strength into his body, he used his shoulder to block the spear that was about to pierce his heart.
He then threw the Wind Blade in his hand, enduring the pain, letting it howl toward Shimura Takeshi's throat.
Sensing danger, Shimura Takeshi abruptly snapped the ice spear, then reshaped the remaining portion into the form of a ninja blade. He raised his hand and knocked Maki's Wind Blade aside.
Crack.
Although the Wind Blade was blocked, the newly formed ice blade also snapped due to the sharp force.
As ice shards scattered, Maki realized this was his opportunity. He pulled out a kunai to continue the attack.
"Ridiculous."
Seeing Maki's ferocious expression, Shimura Takeshi let out a cold laugh. He reached out with his free hand and grabbed the broken half of the ice blade.
The two pieces transformed into two new ice knives, and before Maki could believe what he was seeing, they sliced off the hand holding his kunai.
His left shoulder was pierced, his right hand severed; in just a few exchanges, Maki lost all means to fight.
"Boring. I even wanted to test my taijutsu on you."
Watching Maki stumble backward, Shimura Takeshi kicked him, then jumped onto him as he fell, driving a knee strike accurately into Maki's abdomen.
The blow made Maki feel like his organs were about to surge up his throat. After a scream, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
"So that's all you had."
Shaking his wrist and stepping off Maki, Shimura Takeshi froze him solid with Ice Release, then turned his attention to Pakura's side.
To Shimura Takeshi's surprise, although he expected Rasa to overpower Pakura, the scene showed the two were nearly evenly matched.
The heat of Scorch Release easily melted Rasa's gold sand into liquid gold, but her prized fireballs couldn't bypass his defenses.
Rasa's counterattacks were also dodged nimbly by Pakura, and the watchful glare of Uchiha Hikaru nearby made Rasa wary of using his strongest techniques.
The situation reached a stalemate.
But Shimura Takeshi sensed something strange beneath the sand.
Bending down, he touched the sand. Aside from the scorching heat, he felt other substances within.
"So you noticed. In that case…"
Catching Shimura Takeshi's movement from the corner of his eye, Rasa realized his trick had been exposed. He closed his eyes, and the black rings around them darkened.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Burial!"
The entire dune shook under Rasa's chakra. Massive amounts of sand withdrew, replaced by gold dust that began swirling violently.
Such a wide-range attack was impossible for Pakura to dodge, no matter how agile she was.
Shimura Takeshi: Counting on you, Isobu.
Isobu: "..."
Shimura Takeshi stood still, not even attempting to move.
"Hey, you're not running?"
Uchiha Hikaru, who originally intended to flee, grit his teeth when he saw Shimura Takeshi unmoving and returned to his side.
"That's it?"
Shimura Takeshi smiled confidently. As Isobu poured chakra into his body, enormous cold surged outward from him.
Even Rasa, floating in the air atop his gold dust cloud, felt the chill.
"Impossible… Don't tell me…"
A horrified expression surfaced on Rasa's face—one he had never shown before. Not even before Hiruzen Sarutobi had he been more than resentful.
Shimura Takeshi gave him no time to recover. As the cold intensified, the wildly spinning gold dust slowed, frost forming on its surface.
"Ice Release: Snowy Ice Heaven!"
When the cold fully overwhelmed the heat, the Scorch Release fireballs around Pakura dissipated before her eyes.
In a field of pure white, the yellow sand turned to ice, gold dust sealed deep within, and the sand-nin corpses scattered about became ice sculptures.
"You actually made me look down at you from above, Rasa."
Before Rasa could regain his senses, Shimura Takeshi's cold voice sounded. The ice beneath surged upward as razor-sharp ice spikes stabbed toward the sky.
Rasa's gold dust cloud was pierced, and he himself fell helplessly from the air.
Hitting the ice, the impact cracked the surface.
"Kh—!"
Because he fell face-first, Rasa spit blood, along with fragments of broken teeth.
"Bind."
Four small ice spikes pierced Rasa's hands and feet, pinning the Fourth Kazekage to the ice.
Afterward, Shimura Takeshi didn't approach carelessly. He pulled out senbon and shot them at several acupoints on Rasa's body.
Rasa groaned through gritted teeth, coughing more blood from the pain.
With that, it was certain—this Rasa was either the real one or not a clone.
"Why…?"
Rasa couldn't comprehend why Shimura Takeshi would turn against him over the Land of Rivers.
Did he intend to face the daimyo's forces and the allied shinobi alone?
Shimura Takeshi gave no explanation. He grabbed Rasa by the hair and turned his head so Uchiha Hikaru could cast genjutsu.
Just one moment of eye contact was enough. The unwillingness and humiliation in Rasa's eyes were instantly replaced by confusion.
The Mangekyō Sharingan truly worked wonders.
Shimura Takeshi nodded approvingly, promising Hikaru an extra portion for dinner tonight.
He wondered if Shisui—whose life experiences had been drastically altered—had awakened his own Mangekyō yet.
Kotoamatsukami… A technique even more broken than regular Mangekyō abilities. No wonder Danzō feared him so much.
To alter someone's will without their awareness—no leader would allow such power outside their control.
"When he finishes the remaining tasks, you can have your revenge."
Shimura Takeshi dispelled his Ice Release. As the yellow reclaimed the scenery, the cold around them faded under the desert winds.
Hearing Shimura Takeshi's voice, Pakura cast him a wary glance.
This boy had grown even stronger.
Creating weapons from ice, maintaining relentless close-quarters combat, and reshaping the entire battlefield so that enemies lost their terrain advantage—these were all techniques Shimura Takeshi had refined deliberately.
With Isobu supporting him internally, none of this was difficult.
"Let you live a little longer."
Pakura didn't reply. Instead, she kicked Rasa, who had just regained enough movement to stand.